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Cal State Long Beach created an innovative approach to helping Spanish speakers learn another language. French for Hispanophones capitalizes on the similarities between Spanish and French to help fast track students on the road to fluency. The program's popularity on the campus that is 30% Latino has grown to the point that the school added Italian for Spanish speakers to its course list. Educators have considered adopting the method at other institutions as well.

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American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages held a video contest to promote awareness of Discover Languages Month, and the World Language Academy in Florida took the top prize. The competition asked schools to create a 60 second video explaining the importance of giving students access to learning a new language. Students at the school learn in both English and Spanish.

A library in Queens, N.Y., has responded to a growing number of immigrants in the community by providing multimedia in foreign languages. Some, however, wonder whether making too much media available in native languages makes immigrants slower to assimilate. But librarians contend that getting people to the library makes them more likely to try an English text.

The Houston Chronicle writes in favor of the Houston Independent School District's decision to open a Mandarin magnet school in the fall. Since China's effect on the future of the world's economy cannot be denied, it makes sense to give students the skills they need to communicate with the Chinese. Improvements to the Panama Canal also have made it more likely that people in Houston do business directly with the Chinese, the editorial board points out.

Radio Bilingue, based in Fresno, Calif., is America's public broadcasting network that targets Spanish speakers. Unlike the typical public station audience of affluent white Americans, the network with seven FM stations in California speaks to immigrants, farmworkers and first-generation Hispanics. With plans to add five more stations, the network hopes to foster a more active sense of citizenship among Latinos.

Italian Lorenzo Colangeli spent his first few weeks in the U.S. asking people, "Can you speak slower?" But as his study-abroad experience has progressed, he has started to master English. Colangeli came to America through the AFS Intercultural Program, a cooperative effort of numerous nonprofit agencies. The program also places American students in foreign countries, giving them the opportunity to enhance their language skills as well.